Cold and Dark
by The Bickering Kingdom
Summary: Neville tells the story of how what was supposed to be a harmless prank ended in a tragic aaccident. Warnings inside.


**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter.**

Warnings: Character Deaths and mentions of Suicide.

* * *

It was a prank that went wrong and I wish I could go back an stop us from playing the prank but I can't.

All I can do is stand here in front of you all and reveal the truth of what really happened that night.

Draco Malfoy was a bully it doesn't excuse what we did, but it's why we did what we did. He had humiliated and belittled Me, Ron, Fred, George, Harry and Hermione at least half a dozen times. We wanted to do the same to him, make him feel what we had all felt.

I can't remember who's idea it was to lead him out to the Forbidden Forest all I know is that we all agreed to do it. You see we knew he'd never miss a chance to get a Gryffindor in trouble, your son was a true Slytherin Mr And Mrs Malfoy you should be proud of that.

We just wanted to scare him, that's all we wanted to do, but it went too far. It was Harry and Ron, who talked loudly enough for Draco to hear about how they were going to meet in the Forest at midnight that night.

Knowing he would desperately want to catch them doing something to use against them, knowing he'd follow. I wish he hadn't followed, I wish we had been wrong.

But he did and by doing so it costed him his life. I would like to take a break before I speak further of what happened.

* * *

At first I thought he wasn't going to fall for it and we would all go back to our common room disappointed and maybe in big trouble because we got caught.

It was Fred who spotted Draco and whispered to us he was there, he looked terrified and determined to get Harry and Ron into trouble.

At first we just made noises to scare him and laughed silently about it. We should have left it at that both Hermione and I wanted too, but the others wanted to sneak up behind him and really scare him.

Why did I go along with it? because I liked being a part of something and the feeling of having friends. The others I don't know and if you ever find them you can ask them, maybe they'll tell you or maybe they won't.

We didn't manage to sneak up on him, Harry tripped over a log and made a noise that gave us all away.

Draco was outnumbered in a cold, dark horrible place, but that didn't stop him from taunting us. If he hadn't if he had just run and to go find whoever he could to get us into trouble he'd still be alive.

He said he'd wished Ginny had died and Ron lost it, pushed him and Draco fell backwards.

I thought he was going to get back up and threaten to tell his father like he usually did but he didn't. Hermione was the one who bent down to see if he were okay, he had hit his head on a rock.

I remember he was breathing, there was blood and he wasn't awake. We left him there unconscious and bleeding in the cold and dark.

We thought he'd be okay that he would wake up and go back to the castle an tell on us. Mr And Mrs Malfoy I'm sorry, I am really sorry and I hope that one day you can forgive me.

In the morning when we found out no one had seen him all morning the Twins skipped their class to see if he was still in the Forest. I sat in class hoping that he was okay something I never thought I would hope.

We all knew the moment we spotted the twins that he wasn't okay and he would never be okay.

I felt numb and like it was all some terrible dream, maybe that's why when Hermione said we should confess everything that happened, I sided with the others and agreed to keep quiet.

When the Professors became increasingly worried, when his parents turned up at Hogwarts and when his body was found maybe that's why I said nothing numbness and believing it to be a nightmare. Hermione was right, we should have confessed that day and maybe then you would believe how sorry I truly am.

After his body was found we didn't talk about what happened that night not until three months later when Hermione took her life. I still wonder if Hermione hadn't taken her life would anyone know what really happened that night.

She left us all a note telling us that she'd confessed everything in a letter and it would be read out by someone she trusted at her funeral.

Why she warned us I will never know, Harry used his money to help himself and the entire Weasley family to flee the country before her funeral.

I stayed not because I had to because my gran offered to use all the family money we had to get me out of the country but I chose to stay.

To face the Malfoys, to face you all and hope you take that into consideration when you reach a decision on the punishment I face for the things I did and didn't do that night.

I also want you all to remember it was an accident and if I could change it would.


End file.
